A year on from the AMG flagship’s arrival, it’s time to see the ‘mainstream’ model.

LIFE on New Zealand roads for the Mercedes-Benz EQS450 4Matic sedan is off to a five star start, with the model’s local arrival coinciding with announcement of it achieving a top score from the national crash testing authority.

The rating from the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) is the first locally-mandated official score for EQS, but is specific to this $218,700 version.

Its big brother, the $92,900 dearer AMG EQS53, that has been here for exactly year remains unrated by ANCAP.

Slightly odd? There’s another twist. The score being published in New Zealand and Australia now comes from regional sanction of a test the car undertook in 2021, under taken by ANCAP’s sister organisation, Euro NCAP.

That in turn means the rating is from test protocols superseded by stricter standards this year.

The Mercedes-Benz EQS450 received scores of 96 percent for Adult Occupant Protection, 93 percent for Child Occupant Protection, 76 percent for Vulnerable Road User Protection (pedestrians and cyclists), and 80 percent for Safety Assist technology.

The Adult Occupant Protection score is the equal second-highest under ANCAP’s current criteria – behind only the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model Y. It came from it achieving perfect results in the full width frontal, side impact, oblique old, far side impact, and rescue and extraction tests.

The Child Occupant Protection rating owes to full marks across the dynamic front and side criteria, plus its restraint installation system.

If in-house cross-shopping occurs, the EQS450 4Matic is likely to be compared against the EQE 53 4Matic, which costs $195,000, is more potent and is higher specified - taking the MBUX Hyperscreen display the EQS450 does without - but though on a common platform, gives away interior room and some range.

The EQS450 takes dual electric motors developing 265kW and 800Nm - against 460kW and 950Nm out of the EQE 53 - and a 107.8kWh battery pack driving all four wheels for a claimed 0-100kmh acceleration time of 5.6 seconds.

The claimed driving range of 664km is bound to be an allure, though that’s from the NEDC lab testing that no longer carries as much weight as the superior WLTP assessment preferred by NZ legislators.

The EQS450 can charge at up to 200kW on a DC public charger, or 22kW on an AC socket.

Standard equipment includes 21-inch alloy wheels, AMG Line exterior styling, Digital Light adaptive LED headlights, a 12.8-inch touchscreen, 12.3-inch instrument display, heated and cooled front comfort seats, a panoramic glass sunroof, head-up display, rear-wheel steering, 15-speaker Burmester stereo, and a suite of advanced safety systems.

The AMG flagship is a bolder and even more bountifully-equipped and presented car, but it might be that the standard model presents a suspension tune more amenable to NZ roads, particularly the coarse chip.

Deliveries start next month.